Budget measures revealed by Dominica PM ahead of announcement

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has revealed several measures that will be proposed in the national budget, which is due to be announced on 27 July.

Following consultations with several societal sub-groups including nurses, teachers, the private sector and manufacturers, the prime minister – who is also minister of finance – revealed that a number of interventions have been drafted in response to the concerns voiced by the people.

Added to this, he explained that the primary concern of his government remains the well-being of citizens.

“In this year’s budget we are providing some $15 million for the manufacturers of Dominica and that $15 million will be at a 3% interest [rate],” he announced, while asserting that it represents the most competitive rate in the Caribbean.

Once this proposal is passed, manufacturers will have a twelve-month grace period for repayment of these loans.

WIC News has approached the opposition United Workers Party as well as their leader, Lennox Linton, but received no reply to emails.

Health and tourism

With middle income citizens in mind, efforts to construct and provide affordable housing are set to receive an additional boost, in partnership with the Dominica Social Security, after the budget is approved.

There is set to be a $5 million increase in the ministry of health budget, which will completely subsidise the medication costs for critically ill cancer patients.

The destination marketing budget is also slated to be increased, up from $8 million in the 2016/17 financial year, to $12 million for the upcoming financial year.

Skerrit justified the move by underlining its importance to ensuring that Dominica remains relevant and known in the global market.

He promised that formal technical and vocational training, as well as training in the hospitality sector will also be put forward in this year’s budget, citing the dearth of tradesmen in Dominica and the increase in world class hotels currently under construction.

“If we are building five-star hotels in Dominica, our service cannot be at a two-star level, and therefore we have to take our people in the hospitality industry to a five-star service level.”

Human resources

Entrepreneurs can also continue to look forward to financial and technical assistance for their small business enterprises as they seek to continue building a cultural spirit of entrepreneurship in Dominica.

The focus on enhancing the country’s human resource base will also be intensified as bachelor’s degree holders wanting to pursue master’s degree programmes will receive assistance from government, once the master’s degree falls within the national priority.

“What we have found with the government’s resolution to ease access to tertiary education [is that there is a] dramatic increase in the number of Dominicans with first degrees, but you need a second degree to really get the real further in-depth knowledge of your discipline,” Skerrit said.

“So, we will be launching a special programme to target people who are interested in doing their master’s degree.”